Everywhere, in every environment, both above and below ground, men were proudly showing off their toes. It's unclear whether this trend is driven by the current boom in sandals, as reported by Women's Wear Daily in July, or simply due to the intense heat. What's undeniable is that high-end brands have eagerly embraced this trend. During the spring runway shows in Europe, designers paired safari jackets, pastel hues reminiscent of "Miami Vice," and flowy Armaniesque '80s suits with footwear that offered complete ventilation for both heels and toes.
Although Birkenstocks offer slightly more foot coverage than the flip-flops that designer Tom Ford once said he 'wouldn't be caught dead wearing,' they still reveal an excessive amount of toes that might not be considered appropriate for city streets.
But what does "suitability" even mean today? Up until the early 2000s, visitors to St. Patrick's Cathedral, the neo-Gothic icon in Midtown Manhattan, were expected to follow a dress code that emphasized modesty. This was similar to dress codes in houses of worship worldwide, where bare shoulders and uncovered heads, especially for women, were considered inappropriate.
Miniskirts, shorts, and sandals were also part of the scene. Each year, around 5.5 million visitors flock to the cathedral, making it necessary to prioritize security checks over enforcing dress codes. With the real threat of individuals carrying weapons or explosives into public spaces, who has the time to reprimand tourists for wearing inappropriate footwear? The term "revealing" can be understood in various ways.
Recently, designer Aaron Potts questioned what "revealing" even means in today's fashion. Whether it's for personal expression or just staying cool, people now regularly hit the city streets in rugby-style shorts, bralettes, bikini tops, camisoles, and tights so form-fitting or tops so sheer that they might as well be viewed through X-ray glasses.
"I'm not fond of those presentation rules," Mr. Potts said. "Sure, I work in fashion, and I want people to engage with it, but as I've gotten older, I've started to view it less as how we present ourselves to others and more as a form of self-expression."
He has deliberately freed himself from judgments, he explained. Or at least he's striving to escape the restrictive, unoriginal, and often class-based impositions of personal taste that were once whimsically dismissed as fashion policing in the days of Joan Rivers. "Why should I care what you choose to wear?" Mr. Potts questioned.
"I've never, ever worn slippers or sandals outside my home," said Prasan Shah, co-founder of the renowned men's wear label Original Madras Trading Company. He was referring to his experience since moving to the United States. "I feel a bit childish saying this, but it just feels icky," he added.
Mr. Shah noted that while designers and editors might suggest open-toed sandals as the current trend, it's quite another to actually wear them and navigate a daily path littered with used gum, trash, discarded bottles, and other unappealing messes.